(Series 15, ep.49) Second only to the “last-minute-dash-to-the-airport-to-stop-loved-one-leaving” scenario, the “father’s-last-minute-dash-to-the-abortion-clinic” has to be one of the most over-used scenarios in drama. We had it in Holby City this week, but because it was Jac at the clinic and Jonny doing the dashing, I actually cared about it.

I cared because I really want Jac to have the baby. It feels like this is a huge moment in her life, where she could open up and find out how it feels to love someone unconditionally and have them love her back. The alternative is for her to become ever more closed-off. You never know with Jac, though. She could have gone through with a termination, basing everything on cold logic and statistics.

Jonny Mac is the total opposite of her in many ways – he’s all emotion. In fact he almost explodes with emotion sometimes, such as when he was running around the clinic yelling at Jac’s voicemail on his phone (why did no one come out and ask him to shush?). He’s also an enlightened, sensitive man who wouldn’t dream of telling a woman what she could and couldn’t do with her own body, and this has held him back from telling Jac how he really feels.

So it was lucky for him that Jac decided she’s going to keep the baby anyway. Maybe there was a tiny tad of cussedness about it, as the doctor in the clinic turned out to be someone Jac had known (and disliked) a long time ago. “We called you Jac Frost at medical school,” she said. “You had a nickname, too,” said Jac, and when asked what it was, she said, “I don’t use language like that any more.” Advantage Ms Naylor!

If only Jac would let Jonny see how she really feels. We saw it right at the end, when she walked away from the hospital listening to Jonny’s messages on her phone. “If our little girl inherits just one tiny gram of her mother’s fight and spirit and downright bloody mindedness, I know she’ll have the greatest chance in life, because you’re her mum.” And Jac allowed herself a little smile.

Chrissie didn’t have much to smile about (does she ever?), because it was her first session of cancer treatment. What you really want under these circumstances is for a beloved Scouse entertainer to befriend you and cheer you up, and luckily for Chrissie, Paul O’Grady happened to be in the coffee bar (now weirdly branded “Pulses” – nice play on medical words and healthy eating there, but considering they seem to sell nothing but coffee and muffins, maybe not so apt). Their relationship didn’t get off to a good start, as Tim correctly identified that Chrissie is rude, selfish and a bit up herself. When they met again in the cancer clinic, they bonded like nobody’s business and pretty soon she was laughing merrily and ignoring Sacha. Business as usual, in other words.

On Keller, Malick was fuming over a gangrenous leg and getting all angry because he passed his consultant’s exam ages ago, but he’s still a registrar and has to wait for Michael Spence before he can get stuck into a spot of surgery. Hanssen asked him which of his colleagues he’d like to be sacked so there would be a vacancy. Jac would have given him an answer without hesitating, but Malick didn’t so he was sent off to mentor Zosia March for the day.

She didn’t attempt to pounce on him, despite hearing that he was “Holby’s answer to Colin Farrell” (say what??). I think Zosia is a natural predator, in that she likes to pick off the vulnerable stragglers rather than the head of the pack. Plus, she’s probably heard that pouncing on Malick would be futile unless she had stubble and/or a quiff (that’s not a euphemism – it’s a hairstyle).

She’s good at diagnosing stuff, though – these brilliant-at-books, bad-at-bedside-manner types so often are – and she spotted that the patient they were dealing with probably had bulimia. Malick ignored her, but then took the credit later on in Hanssen’s office. Hanssen, however, was not fooled for a minute. That consultant’s job doesn’t look like it’ll be happening any time soon.

Next time: The episode is called “Fredrik” – the name of Hanssen’s son. Intriguing.

8 responses to “Holby City: Chances of survival”

My favourite part of this episode was Paul O’Grady bitching beautifully with Chrissie. It was crackling dialogue, and hilarious. Such a shame they had to go all soft and sentimental so quickly. Dull dull dull.
Malik just seems a jerk these days. Shame. I like Zosia a lot tho’.
As a side issue, I’ve been catching up with Rome on Netflix, and it’s nice to see Henrik in a toga. It suits him.

Can’t bear the thought though that this baby might not be Jonny’s? Is that ‘twist’ coming up after Jac’s one-night stand or was that too long ago? Can’t do soap opera/drama pregnancy date calculations!

You can put your mind at rest on that score – it’s definitely much too long for the baby to be Sean’s. Apparently she was conceived just after Tara died when they made the ‘mistake’ of having ‘weird bereavement sex’ (Jonny’s words). Although, there was lots of chatter at the time about Jac coming back from Japan pregnant and there being a ‘who’s the daddy’ storyline. Onviously it never came to pass and I think I can see why now!!!